History

St James' Church Ravenfield

Welcome to our lovely Church.The name Ravenfieldis of Norse origin and means ‘raven’s open field’. There was a medieval chapel on this site which was replaced in 1756 with the present church, designed by the York architect John Carr (Famous for building such as Harewood house, Wentworth woodhouse, Buxton Crescent to name but a few). for Mrs. Elizabeth Parkin (of Ravenfield Hall) it is built in the Gothic style of Ashlar sandstone with a Welsh slate roof. It is a 3-bay single cell with a tower rising above west gable entrance and has an apsidal east end.The prime reason for its existence has always been as a place for the people of Ravenfield to meet with God. Over its 250 years, many have drawn closer to him in the light and peace of this space.. We hope you do too.

The Tower and Bells.The tower houses a set of six bells; four of these were founded/cast by Joseph Ludlam who had a foundry near the Grammar school in Rotherham. These bells were fitted when the Church was built in 1756. Two further bells were added in 1797 and these were founded/cast by Thomas Hilton of Wath. Thomas Hilton was a bell founder in the area from 1774 to 1808 and cast bells for many local churches. Interestingly Joseph Ludlam cast some bells alone and some with a man named A. Walker of Rotherham who in turn appears to have cast bells either in partnership with Joseph Ludlam or with Thomas Hilton. Our bells can be chimed by one person using a mechanism at gallery level. Three of the bells are also used by the clock for striking the hours and the quarters. All the bells are framed on English oak trestles.​

The Clock.We have a rare one-fingered clock on the tower. Possibly one of only a dozen of its kind in the country (in the 18th Century when the Church was built, time was not as critically measured as it is now in the 21st Century). The going and striking weights are cast iron and the frame is good old English oak. The clock dial is probably copper sheet attached to a marine ply backboard and is approximately 6ft in diameter. The clock is wound by hand using the original winding handle and is accessed via a wooden ladder to the clock chamber from the gallery level; it is wound once per week. Our clock isa turret (or birdcage) clock and is an interesting mixture of makers and periods. One part is signed William Smith and is a complete mid-18th century clock in its own right, with a 'going' or timekeeping train of wheels and a striking train, to strike the hours. This part of the clock was most likely fitted when the Church was built in 1756 and fits with the dates that Smith was working. Smith worked in Upper Moorfields in London between c.1749 and c.1778. The second part is signed by Andrew Crawshaw of Rotherham (Andrew Crawshaw was born in 1779, the son of the clockmaker James Crawshaw) and is a chiming train - to chime the quarter hours - and is an early 19th-century 'add-on'. G.H. Baillie's Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World gives Crawshaw's dates as 1810-1828. This probably covers the period when Crawshaw advertised in local street directories or local newspapers rather than the beginning and end of his career. This part of the clock has the date 1812 engraved on a brass plate and it is probably at this point that the two distinct parts have been fitted together - the finished assembly being reconditioned by William Potts & sons of Leeds in the 1956.We are currently trying to raise funds to restore the movement and the quarter chimes and also have a full dial restoration. We would also like to have the clock winding mechanism fitted with an electric motor for automatic winding and automatic regulation, the cost of the work currently quoted as £16554. Although we have made several applications, as yet have been unable to secure any grants so we are now faced with the reality of having to raise the funds ourselves. We would be very grateful if you would consider making a donation, however small, for our fundraising efforts.